


I used to dream that you would talk to me.

by StarkMan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Dad, Lonely Tony Stark, Oblivious Team, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 03:34:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17614634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarkMan/pseuds/StarkMan
Summary: “I don’t want your tech!” Scott snapped and Tony blinked up at him. Natasha stopped scrolling and cast them both a wary look. “I don’t need you to try and buy my friendship, it’s pathetic.” Scott hauled himself up and strode out of the room and into the elevator, presumably to go to his floor.“Well.” Tony said, fiddling with the edges of the sleek pad.





	I used to dream that you would talk to me.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually really like Scott Lang. But I like Clint better, so one of them had to take most of the blame in this fic. 
> 
> Title from the lyrics to 'For Island Fires and Family'. By Dermot Kennedy.

Tony had come to enjoy the Avengers being around, despite his initial misgivings. Nick Fury had all but ordered them together after the Chitauri invasion of New York and the Director had even found them a new member. Scott Lang was a relation to Hank Pym, much to Tony’s displeasure, but things were pretty good between everyone for the first few weeks.  


He and Pepper had split just before Fury’s orders, and so he invited them all to the Tower. It made sense. She’d said she couldn’t handle the stress, not knowing whether he’d make it back after a mission, but Tony knew the truth. He’d changed as a person, irrevocably, and he wasn’t the man she’d fell in love with. This Tony, post wormhole Tony, was a mess. A piping hot mess who’d fucked up his chance with the most perfect woman on earth. Pepper was simply too kind to say so.  


“Is Friday okay for everyone for the movie night?” Steve asked the room and there were various noises of assent. The majority of them were gathered on the communal floor, surrounding the big screen TV, watching Clint and Scott playing Mario Kart. Before Scott had turned up, Clint and Tony were top of the leader board and it had been a bit of a thing for them, duking it out while the others watched on. Now, Tony was sat next to Clint, doing his best to not send looks at Scott. The guy was pretty good, but still, that was his controller.  
Peter climbed over the back of the sofa and plopped down next to Tony, grinning at him.  


“Hey kiddo.” He said.  


“Guess what I’ve got?” The kid was hiding something in his pocket, most likely pilfered from the kitchen cupboards. Little brat had made himself quite at home, despite not living at the tower.  


Tony leaned back and whispered, “Please say you’ve found Clint’s chocolate.”  


Peter snickered, “I have.” Tony mock gasped and made grabby hands at Peter, causing him to laugh and dig out little red wrapped chocolate from his pockets. He sneakily gave a few to Tony who turned his body to shield their chocolate stash from Clint’s watchful eyes.  


Clint and Scott were so wrapped up in their game that they never saw nor heard wrappers rustling now and again and Tony couldn’t help thinking it served Clint right. Also, if Peter looked exceedingly content that he’d found Clint’s stash in the vent above Steve’s bathroom, then even better.  


He had to admit, though he could never voice it, he loved Peter in a way he’d never allow himself to feel for the others. The kid never let him down or made him feel excluded. He never made subtle digs or references to his past. The others had, well, Steve hadn’t, but Steve was Steve. Natasha kept to herself, Thor was on Asgard and Bruce was travelling. Peter was this almost literal ray of sunshine in their lives and Tony only wished the kid was around more. So far, he settled for visits a couple of times a week. 

 

He’d given them all floors in the tower and designed them to suit, but they all seemed to flit to each other’s quite often. For instance, Clint had his brow furrowed as he poked and prodded Peter’s web fluid in a beaker. Tony had been trying to explain the stealth shoes he’d created for the guy, but the man’s attention was most certainly not on Tony’s rambling in-depth scientific breakdown of materials. Clint picked up a magnetic stirring rod and swirled it in the fluid. Scott stood in the doorway and just studied the place, perhaps sensing Tony’s reluctance on having the guy in his workspace.  


“I’d tried a few types of material for the soles,” Tony ploughed on, “Nothing too elastic as you’d feel everything underfoot as the sole stretched, but obviously we wanted to muffle sounds. To be honest, It’s helped with a few ideas for Peter’s suit, he could do with–“  


“Jesus Christ, Stark, do you ever shut up?” Clint snapped and Tony shut his mouth and blinked. Scott chuckled from the doorway and Tony quickly lowered his eyes to his hands.  


“Sorry.” He said as he fiddled with a piece of prototype material. Clint just sighed and left, the two of them muttering about something and Tony was a little too afraid to ask JARVIS what. 

He felt the nuclear blast force the remaining air from his lungs as it pushed against his chest and had him free falling back through the wormhole. His arms were so heavy in the suit as he flailed and tried to right himself then his body jolted as he was caught by the hulk almost immediately which made no sense. He woke suddenly, his arms splayed out across his bed and his hand clutched at the covers as he heaved air back in.  


It took a few long minutes of breathing before he felt steady enough to unclench his fists and when he did, he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around his stomach and felt his cheeks were wet. These were the moments he wished for Pepper the strongest. The way she’d hold him and run her fingers through his hair, not minding he was sweaty or shaking. She’d done that in the beginning but eventually it just upset her even more, so he took naps in the lab instead. 

 

“Tony, I wanted to talk to you.” Steve said as he came into the lab and Tony put down the gauntlet he was working on and rotated in his chair to face him.  


“What’s up?”  


“I just noticed that we were missing a rather key part in training.” Steve explained. “We’ve got the treadmills, bags, weights and all that, but I was thinking of a pool?”  


“Oh.” Tony said as he spun back around to pick up the gauntlet again. “I didn’t think we’d need a pool. Everyone can swim.” He fiddled with it aimlessly. A large body of water inside his tower?  


“Well, it’s not really a case of swimming, it’s the training experience.” Steve reasoned and Tony was hard pressed to find a valid reason to say no. “We can work on all sorts with water, and let’s be honest, it’ll help enormously if the team ever gets into a situation that involves it. Let’s be honest, I’m incredibly surprised we haven’t already. New York is right on the coast.”  


“Fine. I’ll speak to someone about installing a pool.” Tony agreed, stomach uneasy.  


“Great. Thanks, Tony.” Steve said and Tony heard him start to leave. “Also, are you going to make it to movie night tonight?”  


Tony shook his head and glanced over, “Sorry Cap, I’ve got a lot of work going on right now. You’ll have to have fun without me.” Steve didn’t argue.  


“Sure, no problem.” He sighed. “You’ll have to show for the next though!” Steve called out as he left.  


Tony set down the gauntlet and wiped his hands over his face.  


“JARVIS, bring up the tower blueprints.” Holograms appeared above his workspace and he flicked his fingers to discard the floors he’d designed for the Avengers, pausing on the floor below the gym. That one had the most space between floors due to the supporting steel, a pool would fit, and if he had to scrap part of the floor below in order to have a deeper pool, then that’s what had to happen. “Get the usual contractor on the phone for me, J.”  


“Yes sir. Though if I may, I can also acquire memberships for the NY Wellness gym two blocks away. The walk to the pool would do them good?”  


“No,” Tony huffed and shook his head, “be nice, JARVIS.” 

 

Much to Steve’s exasperation, Tony also skipped on the team meal when Monday rolled around, and he still hadn’t caught up. He showed his face though at one point when he surfaced for air -more coffee, same kind of necessity, and he’d ran out in the lab- and the team seemed to be pretty content, stuffing their faces with pizza and loudly taking the mick out of Peter’s squeaky voice. Bless the kid, he was going through changes, mortifying judging by the colour of him, changes. Tony took his coffee back down into the lab and was fairly certain nobody had even noticed him come up.

 

A few weeks passed in the same vein. The pool construction was complete, though that had been verified by Steve. He had no intentions of setting foot in that room. Even just going into the gym to find Natasha for measurements had been a task. The smell of chlorine permeated the room and turned his stomach, reminding him of swimming lessons as a child, and the amount of time he’d spent underwater, aware of the dangers. For the most part, he avoided everyone and from what he’d seen on the cameras, they all got on well. And if JARVIS loaded the surveillance for him in disapproving silence, then at least nobody was around to see.  


He’d finally worked through quinjet upgrades for SHIELD, a new target locking handgun for agents amongst other requests from them, but now he was able to finish up on personal upgrades for the team. This was what he was good at, tailoring equipment to suit. 

 

Clint was once again poking about in his lab, but in his defence, Tony had invited him down to see the final product. At least he now had Natasha here to keep an eye on him, and Scott wasn’t actually touching anything. He’d made smaller boots for Natasha and so he explained them to her instead, she seemed more willing to listen to him ramble on.  


“So, yeah, basically they absorb sound waves here in the sole,” he pointed as he flipped over the boots, “so you ought to be pretty near silent when you creep up to stab someone. Now for the name, I’m working on a patent for ‘Sneakers’, get it?” He handed over the smaller pair to Natasha and threw the others to Clint who almost dropped them as the alarm to assemble rang through the lab. Steve’s terse voice came over the speakers.  


“Myself, Widow, Hawkeye and Ant-Man to assemble. We are underground, Iron Man not needed for this.” Clint and Natasha shoved on their new boots and rushed out of the lab after Scott, leaving Tony stood there.  


“Well, I think they liked their stuff?” He questioned, and JARVIS stopped the alarm to speak.  


“You should get some rest, sir. By my estimates, they will be gone for a few hours yet and your priority has been to their tech for the past few weeks.”  


“Yeah, yeah,” Tony waved his hand dismissively, “I’ll go once I’ve finished this tablet for Scott.”

 

The next day, Tony brought the finished tablet with him to give to Scott who was slumped on the sofa in the living area. Natasha sat on the opposite couch, scrolling through her phone but she looked over curiously as Tony sat next to Scott.  


“Forget Skype or facetime, this is the future of video chat.” He announced flicking his fingers over the screen to raise an empty hologram, missing Scott’s narrowed eyes. “No iffy connection, grainy pictures or audio that cuts out every five seconds. You can chat with your daughter whenever you want, now. I’ve obviously made the pair to this that she can have.”  


“I don’t want your tech!” Scott snapped and Tony blinked up at him. Natasha stopped scrolling and cast them both a wary look. “I don’t need you to try and buy my friendship, it’s pathetic.” Scott hauled himself up and strode out of the room and into the elevator, presumably to go to his floor.  


“Well.” Tony said, fiddling with the edges of the sleek pad.  


“Tony,” Natasha said, sitting up, “the mission didn’t go too well yesterday. A little girl got caught up in the crossfire and was injured. She’d appeared out of nowhere.”  


“Oh, that’s-, is she okay?” He asked. He hadn’t heard things had gone wrong, but then he had sort of holed himself up in the lab.  


“Yeah, she’ll be fine.” She assured him. “But it shook Scott up a bit. You know, his daughter is pretty big on the whole superhero thing and he’s always encouraged it, thinks one day they’ll be working together. I think he saw the dangers properly for the first time.”  


“Yeah. Me giving an easier way for her to get involved in all of this probably wasn’t the best thing then?” He chuckled self-deprecatingly.  


“It was well-meaning.” She caught his eyes and gave him a small smile. “I’m sure he’ll see that once he’s had a breather.” Tony nodded slightly and got up, leaving the tablet on the coffee table. He went back down to his lab with Scott’s words in his head. Pathetic.  


Did he try and buy friends? They all had their strengths that they brought to the team. His was inventing and so he invented for them, what was so wrong about that? He’d like to think they’d be his friends regardless of whether he made them tech, but a small voice whispered that they were only here because Fury ordered it and had refused to foot the bill. So, Tony was spending money in order to keep them around. Another sobering thought flitted through, Happy was on the payroll and so was Pepper as CEO. Rhodey was possibly the only one who stuck around who wanted to.

 

Tony attended a movie night when Peter happened to be visiting but found himself busy for the following one where Peter was at Ned’s. Scott had come over a few days after his words in the living area and awkwardly apologised. Tony had dismissed it, saying it was fine, they all had bad days. Basically, time moved forward, Tony still felt isolated and Peter was just about the only thing to drag him from his lab. Things seemed to be on the up though when Bruce contacted Tony and asked whether his room was still available. He happily informed Steve who rounded up the others to throw a party.  


Turns out, Scott could put away enough alcohol to rival Natasha. Tony chuckled to himself, feeling nicely fuzzy from his second glass of wine, and gazed around the room from his spot on the centre couch. Bruce was perched on the arm of the sofa that sat on his right, gesturing wildly as he explained some part of his travels with Natasha. That woman appeared scarily sober after polishing off half a bottle of vodka. She was nodding along attentively, eyes softer than Tony had ever seen them and curled comfortably into the cushions.  


Clint and Scott both sat on the opposite couch to Natasha and Bruce, to Tony’s left, only they weren’t as sober. Clint was trying to explain the apparent expertise involved with fire-breathing and Scott was slurring his doubt that Clint had ever fire-breathed in his life.  


Steve and Peter were sat on the bar stools in the space between the kitchen and the living room. Tony had tilted his head back of the back of the cushions to watch Peter grinning, nodding along to whatever Steve was explaining. The guy had only just gotten back for the party, he was rarely even in the tower lately as SHIELD seemed to be keeping them all busy.  


“There’s fire downstairs, you prove it an’ I’ll give you…”  


“Uh, no!” Tony interrupted Scott before the two could potentially set the place up in flames. Well, he highly doubted that, but he didn’t fancy his lab being covered in foam as Dummy was a little enthusiastic when it came to fire.  


“Oh, c’mon Stark.” Scott turned to him and frowned. “Don’ be a buzzkill, I thought you liked parties?” He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.  


“Keep up with the times, Ant-Boy.” Tony rolled his eyes and sat up to rest his elbows on his knees. “I don’t do that sort of thing anymore.”  


“What d’you do instead then, to fill that void?” Scott’s eyes narrowed and Tony played with the stem of his glass.  


“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He shrugged, affecting nonchalance. Clint stayed quiet but his eyes flicked between them. “I partied, yeah, it was fun. Now the hangover’s not worth it.”  


“Or it’s ‘cause of the kid.” Scott waved a finger at him drunkenly. “You wan’ him to like you. Make a good… you know.” He closed his eyes and struggled to find the word.  


“Impression.” Clint supplied and Tony recognised the sharp stab in his chest as betrayal.  


“It’s true though,” Scott insisted, “you did all that shit ‘cause you wanted someone to like you. Ooh look at me, I’m so funny and entertaining, come spend some time with me!” He sniggered smugly at his impression and Tony gulped down the rest of his wine. “You can’t sleep with us lot though so you’ve gotta make us stuff instead. And that poor kid, getting suckered in by your money and celebrity, does he even know how much blood is on your hands?”  


“How ‘bout a game of Mario?” Clint suggested to Scott and Tony got to his feet and swiftly left the room to the balcony outside. He felt Natasha and Bruce’s eyes on him, and he heard Scott ask what he’d done, but the door fell shut before Clint answered.  


The cool air helped take the heat from his burning cheeks. He’d found himself in embarrassing situations throughout his life, but he didn’t think anything compared to that then. Did he really come across as that desperate? So what if he liked company, didn’t everyone? And Clint had just sat there. That was probably what hurt the most out of it all.  


The volume inside the tower became louder for a moment as the glass door opened. Tony leant on the balcony and did his best to swallow past the lump in his throat.  


“Is everything alright?” Steve. He was grateful it wasn’t one of the drunk ones, more likely to pry.  


“Just peachy, Cap.” Tony spun around and turned his smile up a few watts. There was a small crease between Steve’s brows and Tony wondered absently whether the serum removed wrinkles or slowed them down to a certain degree.  


“It doesn’t seem like nothing.” He ventured and Tony felt his anger rising. “You don’t strike me as the type to be stood out on a balcony alone.”  


“Ha! And why’s that, eh? Because I’m always the life of the party, smashed off my face?” Tony snapped, rage and hurt swirling together. Steve’s eyes widened in surprise.  


“Tony, that’s not what I meant. When Fury said you offered your home, I figured you’d appreciate the company.” Steve shook his head, bewildered. “Yet most of the time you’re never around.”  


“I don’t need your company!” Tony hissed, stepping forward to look Steve in the eye. “The only reason you’re all here is because Fury ordered me to take you lot in,” He lied. “I don’t _need_ your company, and I am not desperate.” He hated the way his voice strained at the last bit and prayed Steve hadn’t noticed. Fortunately, his words seemed to ignite something in Steve’s incredibly blue eyes, now steely with disappointment and Tony felt he deserved every last bit of twisting his gut was doing right now.  


“You know what Tony, I thought we were friends.” He peered down his nose at Tony and he was reminded of the first time they met, aboard the Hellicarrier. “It’s not even worth getting into an argument.” Steve shook his head, “Maybe you should get some sleep.”  


Tony wanted to rail against that, he wasn’t a child, he didn’t need a fucking nap. But he also needed to pass through the living area to get to the elevator and to do that he needed to go inside.  


“Fine.” He muttered through gritted teeth. Steve seemed surprised at his easy enough compliance. He nodded sharply before leading the way back into the room and Tony followed. Scott and Clint were absorbed in a race, though Clint’s eyes flicked over to Tony and he studiously avoided them. Natasha and Bruce were stood with Peter near the kitchen and the kid looked upset. Had he heard Tony outside? The thought filled him with disgust, and he strode straight for the elevator. Well, Scott was right, wasn’t he? Peter didn’t know what he was really like, and now he’d heard him yelling at Captain America. JARVIS closed the elevator doors, but not before he saw Steve put a reassuring hand on Peter’s shoulder and Natasha and Bruce give him odd looks.  


“I want to go to bed, J.” He said quietly and felt the elevator slowly ascend. It wasn’t fair. The twisting in his gut had a familiar feel to it now, and he inexplicably remembered also feeling the hollowness as a child in school. He’d always been a nerd, and while he skipped grades in order to pursue mathematics and science, it meant he also got pushed up classes for P.E. He’d hated it, watching two team captains pick student after student and just being forced to sit there, waiting for them to argue of who _wouldn’t_ have to have him at the end. Once they’d allowed him to the parties, of course he’d gone, it had been his chance. He’d only realised, an embarrassing amount of years later, that they hadn’t been cheering him on, they’d been taking bets on how long it would take for him to throw up or pass out, or who could get the rich kid to do the craziest stuff.  


Tony got ready for bed and crawled in. “JARVIS?” He whispered into the dark.  


“Yes, sir?”  


“Are they talking about me?” JARVIS took a moment to respond.  


“I believe you should get some sleep, sir. Though before you do, Master Parker would like to know if you are okay?”  


“Tell him I’m fine.” Tony frowned. “Just tired.”  


There was a brief moment of silence as JARVIS relayed his message.  


“He wishes you a goodnight, sir.”  


“Tell him ‘goodnight, don’t let any more spider bugs bite.’” Tony replied and wiped his cheeks. 

 

Tony stayed away from the others for a few days after that, but Peter was due to arrive soon, and Tony was actually going a bit stir crazy in his lab. Steve had popped down to inform him of a team bonding go-karting session they had booked, and Tony had no real excuse not to go. Steve explained that from now on they would make extra effort to all make this work as a team and seeing as Steve hadn’t been around for many movie nights and team meals, it had allowed Tony to shirk off attending too. Tony had rolled his eyes and agreed half-heartedly. Their argument on the balcony seemed to be forgotten. 

“Oh my god Mr Stark, you look hilarious!” Peter’s muffled laughter came from inside his helmet and Tony stuck his tongue out. He’d pulled on the balaclava that went beneath and apparently that had been enough to set the kid off in hysterics when he’d turned around.  


Peter whipped out his phone and took a picture before Tony even registered it, damn super-speed.  


“Can’t wait to show May.”  


“Seriously?” Tony grumbled, “you’re showing that to Aunt Hottie?” Peter just started furiously typing and Tony pulled his helmet over his head.  


“C’mon guys, we’re waiting.” Steve said, briefly poking his head into the changing room. The others had already been kitted out, but Tony and Peter apparently talked too much.  


Tony grabbed Peter’s arm before they left, “Try not to crash into Bruce, I don’t reckon Hulk’s arse will fit in the seat.”  


“Okay,” Peter grinned, “I’ll try not to.” Tony clapped him on the shoulder and pushed the door open for them. “Scott’s fair game though, right?” Peter muttered and Tony faltered in his step. Peter carried on though and joined the others, leaving Tony wondering which part of the conversation Peter had actually heard that night.

Fortunately for everyone, and Tony’s bank account, Hulk didn’t make an appearance. Natasha and Tony had been neck and neck with their times but Tony managed the first place in the end.  


“Did you see when I came down the ramp on the last go? I gained AIR!” Peter was beaming and Tony reached out to ruffle his helmet hair as they all stripped out of their coveralls in the changing room.  


“You weigh like an ounce, of course you did.” Bruce said and they all laughed. They’d had fun, props to Steve, that had been a good shout.  


“I thought I had you,” Steve said to Tony, “managed to get right behind you but this one,” he jerked his thumb at Peter, “actually knocked the back corner of my kart and spun me off.” He shook his head good naturedly and Tony grinned.  


“That’s my boy.” He said, tugging Peter to him in a one-armed hug. The kid blushed and Tony noticed Scott lean in to grumble about something to Clint. He let Peter go swiftly and turned to gather his stuff, but Bruce stopped him mid-turn by clapping him on the back.  


“Wish I had someone watching my back,” He said and smiled gently between them, “though, I’m not sure it would have made much difference as I was in last place anyway?” He mused and Tony snorted.  


“Maybe I could give your kart some upgrades?” He teased, setting Peter off on a spiel of potential tech they could add. 

Much to everyone’s delight, Peter had been given permission to stay the weekend, and much to Steve’s delight, this meant Tony spent a lot more time out of the lab.  


Tony snorted as Peter hurried to the sink to spit out the sauce they’d attempted making. It really hadn’t gone well, despite them following the exact instructions on the website.  


“That was,” Peter said as he rinsed his mouth out under the tap, “possibly the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.”  


“How about we go out for food instead?” Tony suggested and Peter agreed.  


“Yeah, I’m cool with that.” They both grabbed their jackets on the way out and left the others. They’d been eating separately since Peter had come to stay on Friday and Tony much preferred it. Peter hadn’t commented, but the kid was observant, and Tony had noticed him glancing between him and the others a few times.  


As they tucked into their meals at a classy Italian restaurant, a few blocks from the tower, Tony wondered whether Peter was starting to see through it all yet. That Tony wasn’t the same self-assured, cool guy that he’d undoubtedly grown up seeing on the telly, that he was actually just an emotionally dysfunctional loner. The kid was rambling on about some new film coming out and he seemed fairly happy in Tony’s company, he supposed. His stomach twisted though, how long would it be before he saw what the others did?

 

“Steve, can I talk to you a minute?” Bruce asked, seeming hesitant. Steve put down his drawing pad and gestured to the seat next to him on the couch.  


“Sure.”  


Bruce glanced around the room and his eyes lingered on the vent.  


“Somewhere a little more private?” He grimaced. Steve shrugged and led the way to his rooms. They stepped out of the elevator and Steve went over to his kitchen area to put the kettle on.  


“Tea?” He asked and Bruce took a seat.  


“Yeah, go on then.” Steve busied himself making the tea, but it seemed Bruce wanted them to be settled before talking. It wasn’t often that Bruce had an issue with anything, so he had to admit to being a little intrigued. He handed over the cup and sat down on a single armchair near Bruce.  


“So, what’s the problem?” He said, careful to keep his tone patient. Bruce fiddled with his cup.  


“Have you noticed… a divide, between the group?” Bruce started and Steve cast his mind back. He hadn’t been around for a lot, SHIELD were sure making up for lost time with his work hours.  


“I have to admit that I haven’t.” He confessed.  


“Well, I’m glad in a way that you haven’t.” Bruce looked up at him then, a hard look in his eyes. “I never had you down as someone who would tolerate bullying in his team.”  


“Of course I wouldn’t.” Steve said, affronted. “I’d never allow bullying. And I’d certainly know if it were happening within my team.”  


Bruce held up his hands placatingly. “Let’s be honest, you’ve not been around much lately, and when you have, things always seem conveniently fine.”  


Steve paused and thought for a moment. He knew he hadn’t, it was no use snapping at Bruce for something he knew to be true. He wasn’t insulting his leadership, he was trying to point out a potential problem.  


“Okay,” He sighed, setting his tea down, “who’s involved in this?”  


At this, Bruce looked uncomfortable.  


“Tony as the victim.” He said and Steve frowned.  


“And the perpetrator?”  


“Scott, and by extension, Clint.” Bruce admitted quietly, looking awfully guilty. “Look, I didn’t want to do this, Jesus Christ, this feels like running to a teacher.” Bruce put his tea down and scrubbed at his face.  


“Your party. Had something happened?” Steve asked, mind flicking back to that night where he’d seen Tony leaning on the balcony rail through the glass.  


“It’s just digs, you know? Stuff I’d never have pegged the guy to be bothered about. But the more I get to know him… well, the more I see it’s just a façade. The whole media persona he shoves at the cameras.” Bruce sighed. “It’s just an act.”  


“You know I can’t accuse anyone of anything without proof?” Steve said. JARVIS spoke up and Steve flinched so hard he spilt a bit of tea.  


“I can assist with that, Captain.”  


Before he could reply, JARVIS, eagerly in Steve’s opinion, switched on his television and started playing security footage. It started out pretty innocuous, Tony sat watching Scott and Clint play on the console, but Steve studied Tony’s face. He noticed the way his eyes would flicker between the other two, not daring to speak up and ask for a turn. He noticed the man’s absence from Monday movie nights more than Steve had been aware of. The only time Tony showed, was when Peter and Steve would both attend. JARVIS showed him Tony in his lab, watching a screen of the others laughing around the dinner table and Steve’s heart ached at the look of longing in brown eyes.  


Steve glanced over at Bruce whose eyes were a bit glassy.  


“I suspected enough to go to you, but I never expected he was hurting this much.” Bruce whispered and Steve didn’t know whether he wanted to punch something or cry. This had been going on, amongst his team, and he’d had no idea. His attention was brought back to the television when Bruce muttered, “Natasha told me about this one.” Bruce picked up his cup again and cradled it.  


Tony was explaining a tablet to Scott, one Steve recognised seeing the man with just yesterday, talking to his daughter. Steve watched with growing disappointment as Tony’s face fell at Scott’s words and Natasha sat and watched.  


“JARVIS, tell Natasha to drop by, please?” Why hadn’t she called Scott out on that? Or even, come to Steve like Bruce had.  


“Right away, Captain.” JARVIS sounded a little smug and Steve couldn’t blame him. The AI had most probably been under strict protocol not to randomly share things like this and only allowed when prompted.  


Steve recognised the clip showing, it was Bruce’s ‘Welcome Home’ party. His anger simmered as he watched Scott make comments about Tony, how the smaller guy sat there humiliated and Clint just allowed it to happen. It made sense now why Tony had snapped at him on the balcony.  


The footage switched off as JARVIS announced Natasha’s arrival and she strode from the elevator.  


“You called?” She asked, glancing between Bruce and Steve. Bruce was sipping his tea, and Steve was glad he’d put his down.  


“How could you just sit by and watch Tony be made to feel an outsider in his own home?” He asked, voice steely. He hoped he could convey the disappointment in his eyes as he glared. Judging by her altering her stance slightly, it had worked.  


“I thought you were aware.” She said, looking to Bruce for a moment. “But obviously not, if Bruce had to tell you.”  


“I’m aware that I’ve missed something going on in my team, yes. But I trusted you. You’ve known Tony the longest, you should have been the one to inform me. Or even intervene!” His voice raised against his will at the last bit and Bruce set his tea down.  


“It wouldn’t have worked.” She explained. “Like you said, I know him, I compiled his SHIELD profile. He’s a grown man. He would have never responded well to me interfering. He, however unsuccessfully, likes to feel he has control of a situation. Me jumping in defending him would get his back up.”  
She had a point, Tony was incredibly prideful.  


“Where is he now?” He asked them, but JARVIS answered.  


“Sir is currently at Ceci Italian Cuisine with Master Parker. He has just paid the bill, so I should expect that they will return shortly.”  


“I’m not having this discussion whilst Peter is around, it can wait until tomorrow.” Steve got to his feet and downed his cold tea. Bruce and Natasha left together silently, and he was left with his thoughts.

 

The following day, Tony had sequestered himself away again with Peter gone and he was a little surprised to see Steve in his lab, seeking him out so soon.  


“Oh, come on, I’ve not been gone that long.” Tony rolled his eyes and Steve crossed the lab to sit on his couch. Okay, apparently he was staying.  


“The others are having dinner right now, so I wanted to speak with you.” Steve gave him an intense look that had him putting down his battery drill and swivelling to face the guy.  


“If you’re going to give me shit for not being there, I’d rather just carry on with what I’m doing, to tell the truth.” Tony shrugged and Steve shook his head forcefully.  


“I sat upstairs and noticed that you weren’t there. Not just that time, but many times before. Is there a problem with the team?”  


“No.” Tony simply replied, heart pumping. Steve had noticed and he was down here to call Tony out on being a shitty team member.  


“Why not come up? We can both go.” Steve pressed.  


“You’re welcome to, Cap, but I’m just fine here.” He gritted out. He was on the edge already, Steve needed to back off. Frustrated tears welled in his eyes and Cap’s expression turned soft.  


“You can tell me if there’s a–“  


“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!” Tony flew to his feet, his chair flying backwards, and lifted his hands in helpless confusion. “I don’t want to sit there, listening to how they don’t want me around. Or watching someone serve food but miss me out. I don’t want to, Steve. I’ve tried but I don’t know what they want from me!” He hadn’t shouted, his voice had been too strained to shout, but it still broke at the end and his eyes threatened to spill over.  


“Tony…” Steve breathed.  


“Okay, okay, maybe he’s right! Maybe I’m just that dysfunctional that I’m incapable of making friends. Well, you know what? That’s not my fault.” His voice broke and he swiped angrily at his traitorous eyes. “Howard forbade it, always on at me to create the ‘next big thing’. Other kids got to play and just fucking develop! So you can tell them I’m sorry if the tech isn’t good enough for them. I just… want to be able– to be a part of… that.” He gestured to the ceiling where he knew the team were currently laughing over dinner. Steve’s jaw ticked and Tony fell heavily in his seat, breath hitching.  


“I’m not having this.” Steve furiously muttered, getting to his feet and stalking out. Tony put his head in his hands and groaned. What had he done? He’d just humiliated himself even further. Steve would have to kick him off the team. It was only fair. They couldn’t possibly work well with things the way they were, and Steve wasn’t going to sacrifice key members of the team. Tony would just be working on tech, Rhodey could probably be Iron Man. Would he see the kid still? He’d sacrificed so much to be on the Avengers, he never even thought what would happen if he couldn’t hack it. His thoughts were interrupted by Steve re-entering the lab and Tony did a double-take.  


The man was carrying two plates of spaghetti bolognaise and cutlery.  


“I’m not going to drag you up there, so I thought I’d bring the dinner to you.” Steve handed him a plate and he took it dumbly. “Bruce made it, so it’s good bolognaise.” He retook his seat on the sofa and patted the space next to him. Tony stood and made his way over slowly. Once he was sat, he glanced at Steve’s profile. The man was avidly eating his food, the previous tension only lingering in the tightness of his eyes.  


“Thanks.” Tony mumbled and started to dig in. He was actually pretty starving. They ate in silence and Tony couldn’t help but replay what he’d blurted out in his head.  


“About what I said.” Tony started as they set their plates down on a near worktable.  


“I’m sorry.” Steve interrupted. “I should have noticed you weren’t being included and made to feel like you don’t belong.”  


“I’m hard to get along with Steve, I know that.” He chuckled weakly.  


“JARVIS, call Bruce, Natasha and Clint down here would you please?”  


“Steve.” Tony stressed his name. “I can go. Leave the team. Please don’t make this a big thing?” He was starting to panic. This was going to be humiliating in front of an audience. “I’ll hand in my resignation to Fury, I’ll go quietly.” He pleaded. Steve looked at him incredulously.  


“I’m not losing you from this team.” He stated.  


“What?”  


The doors opened and Natasha led the way, followed by Bruce and Clint behind, looking wary.  


“Take a seat.” Steve instructed, and they all found swivel chairs and wheeled them opposite the couch. “I’ll cut straight to it.” Tony kept his eyes on Steve and watched as he fastened a glare in Clint’s direction. “I don’t tolerate bullies. Not now, not before the serum. Never have, never will. I will not have a member of my team, a valued member, be made to feel the way Tony has these past few months.”  


At this, Tony’s cheeks heated, and he dropped his gaze to his lap where he picked at a healing burn.  


“Clint. Are you aware that saying nothing is just as bad?”  


“He was messing around,” Cint said and Tony couldn’t help but lift his eyes to meet Clint’s.  


“No, he wasn’t.” Tony quietly denied.  


“You and Tony used to be close.” Natasha said to Clint, tilting her head slightly. “What happened?”  


Clint shrugged, looking a little guilty. “Scott joined I guess.”  


“And that meant you couldn’t be friends with Tony?” Bruce raised his eyebrow at Clint. “What are you, five?”  


“I think _he_ is.” Clint muttered. He looked over at Steve and Tony. “Scott. He’d get so shitty whenever you were mentioned, always banging on about how you can’t trust a Stark.” He rolled his eyes. “Honestly, it got old pretty fast. But we were paired up a lot on missions. I know that’s no excuse, it was just easier to put up with him complaining, he was a good laugh most of the time.”  


Tony took in Natasha’s cold demeanour, how she angled her body away from Clint.  


Steve spoke up, “Is that all you have to say?”  


Clint hurried to speak. “No, I’m sorry Tony. I had no idea it affected you like that and I’m not just saying that because Nat’s not going to let me sleep for the next month, I am sorry.”  


“It’s okay.” Tony shrugged, embarrassed at the sincerity he could hear in Clint’s apology. “It wasn’t even you, really.”  


“I did enough damage, not saying anything.” Clint shook his head.  


“Well, I need to go speak with Scott.” Steve stood up and Natasha asked whether he was going to be kicked off the team.  


“Oh god no,” Tony begged, “Don’t do that on my account! He’s been valuable to the team, you know he’s helped close down missions faster than without him. Plus, Fury won’t allow it.”  


“He’s damaging to our team.” Natasha spoke up.  


“He is.” Bruce agreed.  


“I’m not a fan of the dynamics now.” Clint admitted, giving Tony an apologetic smile.  


“I’m not kicking him off. I just want to have a word about his priorities right now.” Was all Steve said as he stooped down to collect their empty plates. The others followed him out and Tony was left wondering what was going to happen.

Scott left early the next morning and Tony was told by Steve that he’d chosen to return home and spend time with his daughter. Apparently, she needed a little more guidance during her life. Apparently, Steve thought Tony didn’t have a genius IQ. That evening, Clint made an awkward offer for a game of Mario Kart and despite his reluctance, Tony agreed. He proceeded to whoop Clint’s ass six games in a row.

**Author's Note:**

> It's so late and I have work tomorrow. I just wanted to get this out there. Please let me know how I've done! This is much longer than I'd originally planned...


End file.
